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BRIAN LARA
CRICKET
Howzat..!
 
Brian Lara Cricket, the most successful cricket video game brand ever, returns to the field debuting on PlayStation and PC CD-ROM with the forthcoming autumn release of Brian Lara Cricket from Codemasters.

A couple of weeks ago we received a 80% complete version of this stunning title. At first we were 'stumped' as to why the once excellent Mega Drive version had taken so long to arrive on console format.

All was forgiven once the game was loaded up. We were completely 'bowled over' by the almost TV quality graphics... it could almost have been 'maiden 'Heaven. In fact I would go as far as saying that it stretches the 'boundaries' of the Playstation further than any other sports title seen to date.

Brian Lara Cricket looks as though it is shaping up to hit gamers for an almighty 'six'.
 

Brian.. who..?
 
      International cricketer Brian Lara is renowned as the greatest batsman of the 1990s. Born in Trinidad, Lara captained the West Indies this year at International level and made a return to English County Cricket captaining for Warwickshire.

He holds the World Test Cricket record of 375 runs, the County Cricket record of 501 runs not out. In 48 tests he has scored 10 centuries in 4,133 runs at an average of 51.66. Lara was described as "The most sublimely gifted batsman on the planet" in The Independent on Sundays Sports Review of the Year.

Brian Lara Cricket, for PlayStation and PC CD-ROM, is based on 220-years old rules that govern the game of cricket all over the world drawn up by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1788.

Brian Lara Cricket is a number one sports video game brand, first published on Sega Mega Drive in May 1995. The original game featured international teams and became an immediate chart number one achieving record sales of over 100,000 copies in the UK alone. It went on to become the best-selling video game on any format from July through to September of that year.

Brian Lara Cricket '96, which introduced County Cricket and World Cup competition, repeated the original's success with a number one chart placing and is one of the few titles still available for the Sega Mega Drive today.

A Long Testing Time...
 
      Created by the development team who formulated the acclaimed gameplay mechanics of the original Brian Lara games on the Mega Drive, Brian Lara Cricket has been the subject of an 2-year, high-end development programme to create an authentic and truly next generation of cricket video game.

Brian Lara Cricket delivers first-class cricket as players bowl, bat and field through the toughest tournaments and individual matches around the world, complete with authentic pitch and weather conditions and player statistics. Stunning presentation sets Brian Lara Cricket apart from any other cricket game on any format.

Played in a stunning 3D panoramic environments and complete with motion-captured movement delivering fluid player animation, the visual appearance of the game mirrors the more popular way cricket is televised. Brian Lara Cricket will continue the Lara brand reputation of being the best adaptation of the English sport for gaming systems.

Lara, who has captained the West lndies and Warwickshire at County level, headlines and stars in the game. The game also features an advanced form of in-game commentary by two leading names in the cricket field: Geoff Boycott and Jonathan Agnew.

With its detailed 3D graphic environments and unrivaled mechanics of play, Brian Lara Cricket is set to repeat the sales success of its predecessor, and become the most comprehensive cricket video game ever produced. Codemasters will publish Brian Lara Cricket this autumn for PlayStation and PC CD-ROM.

Our First Innings
 
      I think that you'll get some idea how realistic this game looks when I tell you that the rather tasty intro has been constructed using in-game shots. Why use film footage from the archives when the motion captured visuals are this good?

The options screen offers a multitude of game styles, facts and figures that should keep even the most avid boffins satisfied for weeks on end. You want statistics? Then check out the Teams file where every single current test player's bat, field or bowling statistics are included for the Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe teams.

Within the Settings menu the player can customize his game. Pitch types can be damp, green, normal, dusty or random. Weather and Slog mode may be switched on/off, while skill levels accommodate all players from the local village, county or test match standard. Progress and results of every game that you take part in may be added to the archives files by simply saving all records and game stats onto the performance tracking memory card facility.

Of course wading around masses of facts and figures may not exactly be your cup of tea, therefore we will move right on to the heart of the action... playing the game. I suggest a visit to the Practice nets would be a sensible introduction. Yes... you do practice in nets... just like the real deal. You can improve your skills as a left or right handed batsman where a selection of strokes are available from killing the ball dead defensively to smashing it for six. Bowling practice caters for off spinners, leg spinners, fast, medium fast and swing.

If you are one of those players who cannot wait to get straight into the action then the Quickstart option will allow you to dive immediately into a game with minimal fuss. For those who wish to choose the specific style of cricket match then choose from: Friendly, World Cup, World Series, Knockout or a Test Series. There's also the option to change the course of history by taking part in a Classic match. There are ten in all which range from the historical England vs Australia in 1948, to the more modern Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in the nineties.

Obviously you may not want to remain sitting in front of the TV screen for a full six game, five day test series therefore the length of each game, or series, can be a adjusted to suit your preferences. Should you decide on playing through a test series a helpful map is available highlighting the location of each venue.

Before each game the match conditions are displayed showing weather, cloud, climate and pitch conditions. To help you decide on your first main decision - the toss of a coin - Geoff Boycott and Jonathan Agnew summarize and offer helpful hints on the best way to play on a particular ground.

Playing the game is relatively simple. You must first decide whether you wish to control your fielders when bowling, or leave this to the CPU. Should you choose to do this then the fielder nearest the ball will react to your joypad commands allowing him to dive, chase or catch the ball.

To begin bowling you must first select the type of bowler you wish to use from your squad of players. A small icon, that is directed by the D-pad, will constantly move around on the pitch in front of the batsman. It's your decision where you want the bowler to bounce the ball. Batting involves lining up and striking the ball a cleanly as possible with your repertoire of strokes.

Graphically Brian Lara Cricket is a peach. Every player seems to have their individual mannerisms programmed in to the game. The batsmen don't just stand there like lame targets... they fidget, wander down the wicket, flatten a few lumps in the pitch, look around at the field placings ... it's remarkable. Bowlers wander up to the crease and make their mark before nonchalantly dragging their feet to their start point as if to conserve energy... before tearing down the field at top speed and launching the solid projectile towards the twitching batsman. Even the umpires stand with hands fidgeting behind their back before motioning to the scoreboard that a boundary has been struck.

It would be unfair to pass judgement on Brian Lara Cricket at this stage of development but suffice to say early indications are very good indeed and I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of final code.

What You Can Expect...
 
      Brian Lara Cricket features an advanced form of in-game commentary by two leading names in the cricket field: Geoff Boycott and Jonathan Agnew.

Featuring over 240 real-name International cricketers, gameplay enables players to enter individual matches, a complete World Cup Competition, a Test Series, a Test Season, Knockout and World Series Tournaments. Day and night matches are played in over 40 3D-modeled international stadiums, each with varying pitch, weather and climate conditions appropriate to each country.

Up to four players complete simultaneously in multi-player competitions on PlayStation and PC; the PC version additionally features a network play option enabling up to four players to complete on one team or as play on opposing teams in challenge matches.

Brian Lara Cricket also offers a full practice facility, a player performance tracking system and also features the popular Classic Match format where players enter a famous cricket match from history at a crucial point and are challenged to match or better the real-life match results.

A high-end development programme is set to deliver the next generation of cricket video game, to be published on the Sportsmaster label Brian Lara Cricket '98 will continue the brand's reputation of owning the best gameplay mechanics of any cricket video game.

Codemasters will publish Brian Lara Cricket this autumn/fall for PlayStation and PC CD-ROM.

 
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